Crews remove first piece of Baltimore bridge wreckage from water

Crews began working Saturday to cut and remove the first pieces of debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed into the Patapsco River after colliding with a cargo ship last week.

The move marks the beginning of a major operation to remove twisted steel from the bridge, which will eventually open a temporarily restricted channel to allow more vessels into the waters around the collapse site. Maryland Governor Wes Moore (Democratic) said at a press conference that the Saturday’s press conference.

The cargo ship, named Dali, was en route to Sri Lanka last Tuesday night when it collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge and collapsed into the water. The 984-foot Singapore-flagged ship lost power as it was leaving the Port of Baltimore, officials said.

On Saturday, demolition crews used two crane barges to cut through the upper north side of the collapsed bridge truss. Video release According to the Joint Incident Commander, sparks were seen coming from the steel as the crew used a cutting torch to cut a hole in the steel.

Coast Guard Station Crisfield watches as demolition workers cut the north upper part of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge into smaller sections to safely remove it with a crane on the Patapsco River in Baltimore. The response boat is watched over by a small crew. (From Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reeves/U.S. Coast Guard, Associated Press)

“It’s going to take some time to clear this part of the collapse. It’s not going to take hours, it’s not going to take days. But once we complete this stage of the work, we’re going to need more tugs, more We can move more barges, more boats into the area and accelerate the recovery,” Moore said.

“This is not just a problem for Maryland. This is a problem for our economy,” he continued. “The port handles more motor vehicles and agricultural equipment than any other port in the country, and at least 8,000 workers at the wharf have jobs directly affected by the collapse.”

Moore reiterated that the bridge cannot be rebuilt until the debris is removed, calling removal “a very complex task.”

“Yesterday, I said we couldn’t rebuild the bridge until we removed the debris, and we will do it. We will remove the debris, move the trolleys, and rebuild the Francis Scott Bridge.” he said.

Four construction workers who were filling holes in the bridge at the time of the incident remain missing and are presumed to have died in the wreckage. Two other people were rescued last Tuesday, and the bodies of two workers were later recovered from the submerged truck.

The search for the missing person was called off Wednesday afternoon due to concrete and debris. The superstructure that may be around the vehicle. Mr Moore said divers would resume the search as soon as it was safe to do so.

“These conditions are not safe for rescue divers. But as soon as those conditions change, Colonel. [Ronald] Butler [Maryland State Police] “I thought the rescue divers would be back in the water soon,” he said.